A$ 1.4 trillion asset base gives this time-tested firm a scale and presence few can match, but its heft has made it tougher for its equity strategies to build up positions in small-and mid-cap stocks without pushing against firm-level ownership limitations. To address this challenge, the firm split into two distinct research entities in March 2022. Six strategies, including five capacity-constrained equity strategies, moved to the new division, T. Rowe Price Investment Management, while the rest of the firm now exists as T. Rowe Price Associates. From 2019 to 2021, the firm bolstered its topnotch equity analyst team with new hires to fortify each division's research resources and ensure an orderly transition.
T. Rowe Price added to its array of offerings by acquiring alternative credit specialist Oak Hill Advisors in 2021. T. Rowe has seldom grown inorganically, but the move expanded its capabilities and helped diversify its asset base. Equities remain T. Rowe's strength. It would like to grow its fixed-income business, though that segment remains a step behind peers; it only recently hired dedicated risk personnel in that area.
While the shift to passive investing continues to challenge active managers, T. Rowe Price's impressive bench of investment talent, prudent corporate management, and relatively low fees continue to give it an advantage.